Waitak shoots for unique treble
Richard Edmunds - Raceform • December 5th, 2025 12:29 PM • 4 min read
New Zealand’s highest-rated thoroughbred will head to Trentham on Saturday to try to complete a treble that has never been achieved before.
No horse has won the Howden (previously Hawke’s Bay Challenge Stakes), Livamol Classic (Ormond Memorial/Kelt Capital) and Mufhasa Classic (Captain Cook Stakes) in the same season.
Hello Dolly and Cinder Bella both came close to this elusive treble in the spring of 2001. Hello Dolly beat Cinder Bella by a long neck in the Challenge Stakes, then that result was reversed in the Kelt when Cinder Bella defeated Trounced and Hello Dolly by three-quarters of a length and a nose. In the Captain Cook Stakes, which was then run during Labour Weekend, Hello Dolly again beat her archrival Cinder Bella by a length and a quarter.
Seachange also attempted the treble in 2007, winning the Challenge Stakes before finishing fourth in the Kelt – beaten by a half-head, a nose and a nose – and second in the Captain Cook.
The Captain Cook was shifted from October to December in 2009 to move it further away from the conclusion of the spring Triple Crown, and Waitak’s trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott used that extra time to freshen their versatile and durable six-year-old after his five-length Livamol romp on October 18.The Proisir gelding returned to competition with an easy trial at Taupo on November 25, finishing fourth over 1100 metres.
“Everything’s gone really well with the horse,” Scott said. “We gave him a nice freshen up and couldn’t have asked for a better build-up to the weekend.
“We thought he trialled particularly well down there at Taupo. We were really pleased with the way he went to the line.
“The way he worked this (Tuesday) morning suggested to us that he’s going as well as he has been at any other time this season. He looks great. He’s just a wonderful horse with his constitution and durability.”
Saturday’s TAB Mufhasa Classic will be the third start at Trentham for Waitak, who was unplaced in the Gr.1 Telegraph on unsuitable Soft7 ground last January but returned in the autumn to impressively win the Gr.2 Awapuni Gold Cup over 2100 metres.“He’s gone down there a couple of times in the past for mixed results, but his last visit there was a very good performance over a bit of ground,” Scott said. “Hopefully he can continue the form he’s put together this spring. We can’t see any reason not to expect that.”
O’Sullivan and Scott’s two runners at Trentham on Saturday are full-brothers. Waitak will be accompanied on the trip down the North Island by his two-years-younger sibling Crackercol, who will line up in the Dunstan Horsefeeds Stayers’ Championship Qualifier.The four-year-old put together back-to-back spring victories over 1600 and 1530 metres, then finished fifth over 1600 metres at Pukekohe two weeks ago.
“He’ll join his brother on the trip to Wellington,” Scott said. “It’s his first attempt up over ground. He’s been solid over the mile, and Waitak himself raced very well when we stretched him out over more of a trip in his last preparation. We think Crackercol will put in another good performance.”
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Racing this Saturday includes meetings at Trentham and Pukekohe. Race highlights are the Gr.1 TAB Mufhasa Classic from Trentham plus the Concorde Stakes from Pukekohe. Tune into BIG SATURDAY on Trackside 1 or trackside.co.nz from 11:30am
